Decision Engineering for Supply Chain Infrastructure

  • Overview
  • Course Content
  • Requirements & Materials
Overview

Decision Engineering for Supply Chain Infrastructure

Course Description

Decision Engineering for Supply Chain Infrastructure is a three-day practitioner program for professionals working on mid- and long-term supply chain infrastructure decisions. Participants learn to define the right problem, challenge model outputs, build business cases, communicate recommendations, and align stakeholders. Through the ABC Foods carrying case, participants progress from problem framing to business case development, validation, execution, and a capstone presentation.

Course Content

DECISION FRAMING

  • Planning horizons and decision context
  • Critical thinking discipline, including System 1 and System 2 thinking
  • Front-end problem framing and data readiness
  • Consultative framing and reframing of the ask

CARRYING CASE: AMERICOLD AND ABC FOODS

  • Evaluating a request for 10,000 freezer pallet positions in Atlanta
  • Identifying opportunities across consolidation, transportation, cooler capacity, retail distribution, less than truckload (LTL), and automation
  • Defining decision criteria and project scope before modeling

DECISION ANALYSIS AND BUSINESS CASES

  • Optimization as decision space exploration
  • Interpreting and stress-testing model outputs
  • Business case development across CAPEX, OPEX, risk, and scenarios
  • Evaluating automation, racking, dock capacity, refrigeration, and shift structure

DECISION COMMUNICATION AND EXECUTION

  • Decision storytelling using context, tension, insight, recommendation, and impact
  • Using Gen AI to stress-test assumptions and refine messaging
  • Cross-functional validation, implementation planning, RACI, and change management
  • Capstone presentation, stakeholder alignment, and response to executive objections

TOOLS AND TEMPLATES

  • Problem framing and decision criteria template
  • Business case structure for financials, risk, and scenarios
  • Cross-functional validation checklist
  • Decision storytelling framework and Gen AI prompt guide
Requirements & Materials

Prerequisites

RECOMMENDED:

Professional experience with supply chain, logistics, operations, analytics, network design, warehousing, infrastructure planning, or business case development. Basic familiarity with supply chain data and analytical decision-making is helpful.

Materials

REQUIRED (Student must provide):

Laptop recommended for exercises, case work, and Gen AI prompt practice. 

PROVIDED (Student will receive):

ABC Foods case materials, problem framing and decision criteria template, business case structure, cross-functional validation checklist, decision storytelling framework, Gen AI prompt guide, and planning horizon decision map.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for analyst to director level professionals who work on supply chain infrastructure decisions, including network design, consolidation, capacity planning, warehousing, cold chain, distribution, and capital investment decisions.

Supply chain professionals learning in classroom

What You Will Learn

  • Critical thinking in supply chain optimization
  • End-to-end business case development
  • Structured problem solving and decision criteria
  • Optimization output interpretation and stress testing
  • Decision storytelling for senior audiences
  • Consultative communication and stakeholder influence
  • Responsible Gen AI use for decision support
Three logistics professionals collaborating over computer in warehouse

How You Will Benefit

  • Frame and validate problems before reaching for tools or models.
  • Question assumptions, challenge outputs, and avoid fast but incomplete answers.
  • Build business cases that account for capital expenditure (CAPEX), operating expense (OPEX), risk, scenarios, and cross-functional validation.
  • Translate analytical findings into a clear recommendation that senior leaders can act on.
  • Use generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) to stress-test thinking, refine messaging, and support judgment without replacing it.
  • Collaborate more consultatively with clients, leaders, and cross-functional teams.
  • Apply templates for problem framing, business cases, validation, storytelling, prompting, and planning horizons.
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    Grow Your Professional Network
  • Taught by Experts in the Field icon
    Taught by Experts in the Field

TRAIN AT YOUR LOCATION

We enable employers to provide specialized, on-location training on their own timetables. Our world-renowned experts can create unique content that meets your employees' specific needs. We also have the ability to deliver courses via web conferencing or on-demand online videos. For 15 or more students, it is more cost-effective for us to come to you.

  • Save Money
  • Flexible Schedule
  • Group Training
  • Customize Content
  • On-Site Training
  • Earn a Certificate
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